Freezing container for refrigerators



- .Mal'iycll'" 6 E. F. RAWLINGS 1,952,729 l I 'FREEZING CONTAINER FOR REFRI GERATORS Filed July 5, l932 @Immnm 33 I 30 require a considerably longer freezing time for Patented Mar. 27, 1934 v v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FREEZING CONTAINER FOR REFRIG- ERATORS Ethel F. Bawlings, Belmont, Mass. Application July 5, 1932, Serial No. 620,821

9 Claims. (c1. 62-1085) This invention relates to the removable freezrily as a spacing wall between the molds and ing containers usedin the freezing units of electhe bottom of the freezing unit proper of the trical or mechanical refrigerators. refrigerator and exists mainly to prevent the The usual freezing container consists of a frosted coating which forms onthe walls of the 5 metal tray or pan having a. fixed bottom and freezing unit proper from freezing up between open top, and a removable metal grid adapted to the molds themselves. Such pan bottom thererest on said fixed bottom and inserted into and fore may be removable, if desired, so as to facilie v from Said Dan through sa d Ope p tate filling of the molds with the water to be T O j t s to this yp of freezing y are frozen, and for purposes of cleaning. Similarly numerous. The g id f e s t the metal P it may be made, if desired, of some material, as 65 bottom and the ice cubes freeze to the partition r, paper pulp ce11u1oid, or other, comnosi- Strips 0f the grid, that'the' grid cannot be tion' material to which ice will not readily adleesed from the 8 11nt11 the froze?! union 0! here, or may be coated withsome substance to 15 id t n and cubes to grid a b broken by which ice will not readily adhere so that it may 70 Pouring Water Over both- 1s a 510W and be easily withdrawn from the freezing unit. disagreeable process and results m much wastage As illustrative of the principles involved, I deof ice cubes, due to the fact that when the frozen Scribe and Show in the accompanying Specificf union of cubes to grid has been broken, more on and drawing. several embodiments of my cubes are released than are usually l invention which recommend themselves on ac- 75 A11 rubber gnds trays have been devlsed count of their structural and functional possias have combinations of rubber and metal in the bmties. Such drawing: effort to overcome these obJections. Fig. 1 is a perspective View of one form of Trays have also been devised in which the grids instead of being'of the conventional honeyggg m accordance wlth my mven comb type have been formed as bent resmgnt Fig. 2 is a transverse section therethrough,

stri s of metal.

' N zme of these expedients has been entirely 5 'i ig fi g gg the satisfactory. The all rubber trays and grids so igi the pan 0 I an effectively Insulate the water to be frozen as to Fig. 4 is a detail perspective of a modified form 5 of molding unit, removed, and shown bottom side up.

Fig. 5 is a similar view of anothermodified form of molding unit, removed.

perspective view similar to Fig. 1 90 further, modification of pan and the formation of ice cubes. The bent metal strip type of grid tends to freeze so solidly in the tray as to be extremely dimcult of removal. To the end therefore of overcoming these several objections to existing types of freezing con- 6 tainers, Ihave devised my present invention. but h 3 According to it the ice molds are removable molfimg hmtsr from the container either as individualunits 1s a d a perspe tw new of one of or in predetermined groups. the mold units shown in Fig. 6, removed, and

40 This permits removal of only the desired num- 8 is a fragmentary eIOSS Section p c her of ice blocks at a time, with conseq t larly illustrating the method of releasably lockavoidance of Wasted ice. ing the unit of Fig. 7 to the pan of Fig. 6. The molds are so mounted in the an or tray Referring to I av indicated g n a ly as to enable the selected number of molds to at 10 a freezing eonteiner f nv ntwnal Slze' 45 be thdr th t un of t n and shape presenting abottom wall 22, end walls effort, and the arrangement is such that all tend-' 11 and Side walls Unlike e usual pan ency of the molds themsves to freeze solid to trey w v e i and d W l 0 b t the pan itself is obviated. I may be opened as indicated at 13 to permit cir- This results from the fact that the molds culation of the freezing air through the pan and 50 themselves are individual freezing units in which into and between the mold units Suspended with the water to be frozen is placed and frozen, as saidran, t increasing the freezing me Of distinguished from the usual freezing container the lee being frozen 111 Such d where the water is poured in the pan and the In the forms of my invention shown in Figs.

2 and grid freezes solid with the pan bottom. In fact 1 to 5 nclusive, the mold un1ts 14 in Figs. the bottom of my freezing pan functions prima- 3, 20 m Fig. 4, and 24 in Fig. 5, are f plural capacity, being adapted to mold a group (here shown as three) of ice blocks or shapes, and consequently being insertible into and removable from the pan as units.

In these several forms, the mold units are strips formed for quick detachable engagement with the pan. They preferably extend transversely of the pan across the open top thereof, being provided at their ends with downwardly and in-' wardly rolled locking edges 18 adapted to be snapped over the outwardly rolled edges 19 of the side walls 12 of the pan. Such edges 18 may be slotted as indicated at 17 and the material of the slots bent horizontally outwardly as at 16 to provide grasping portions under which the fingers may be inserted when releasing thestips from the pan.

Similarly, the pan bottom 22 itself may if desired, also be formed for quick detachable engagement with the side walls 12 of the pan, as by providing it with channel edges 23 adapted to be slid longitudinally over the rolled edges 21 at the bottom of the side walls 12.

In Fig. 3 the individual molds 15 of the strip 14 are formed as depending cups, preferably integrally with the strips. These may be of any desired size and shape, as for example, hearts, diamonds, clubs, spades, etc. For convenience of illustration they are shown of conventional cylindrical or frustro-conical shape.

In Fig. 4, the under side of the strip is shown, and consequently the molds extend as upwardly projecting formations 20 of unusual design. The several designs shown of course are only suggestive of the many designs possible.

In Fig. 5 the strips 24 are shown as closed at their bottom, ends and sides, so as to form a closed receptacle for the water to be frozen. Confined within such receptacle is a bent strip 26 of resilient material, the convolutions of which define with the side walls 25 of the receptacle a plurality of freezing compartments.

In the modification of Figs. 6, 7 and 8 the pan is provided with a top wall 30 which has symmetrically dispersed over its area a plurality of rows of holes 32 formed with offsets 33. The mold units 34 are inserted from above through said holes and are interlocked therein by. partial rotation relative to the pan top.

Unlike the forms of Figs. 1 to 5, the molds 34 are individual units, being of cup or other appropriate shape. They constitute individual holders for the water to be frozen, and are individually flllable and removable from the pan.

- Preferably, they are provided at their upper edges with oppositely disposed outwardly rolled resilient locking formations 35 which are bent inwardly as at 3'7 and terminate in outwardly disposed locking lips 36. These are registered with the offsets'33 and inserted therethrough and then turned through'a partial revolution to the positions of Figs. 6 and 8, the channels 37 guiding on the edges of the cover 30 surrounding the holes 32 with" the lips 36 disposed beneath the cover and thus locking the molds 34 in position within the pan. Being resilient the lips 36 allow .the cups to be readily released even when expanded outwardly'against the edges of the holes 32 by the ice frozen therein.

With this form of devicefI may if desired remove all of the frozen blocks of ice from their molds 34 without removal of the molds themselves from the pan by first removing the pan bottom, turning the pan upside down, and pouring water over the molds. This is a decided advantage over earlier forms where the molds are not positively interlocked with the panand consequently would themselves drop by gravity out of the pan if the pan were turned upside down, thereby necessitating the subsequent individual removal of each block of ice from each individual mold thus released from. the pan.

Inall forms, the mold units are spaced from the side, end and bottom walls of the pan and are freely and quickly removable as desired. Since the pan proper does not contain the water to be frozen, the molds have no tendency to freeze solid in the pan, as with the ordinary metal pan and grid. Instead, the mold units themselves receive the water which is frozen directly in them.

Both the pan and the mold units may be made of any suitable material. For example, the mold units may be made of paper pulp, waxed or otherwise coated to prevent the ice from closely adhering thereto, and hence adapted to be thrown away after one use, or they may be made of metal. The pan is preferably made of metal, but the pan bottom of any suitable material to which ice does not readily adhere.

Various modifications in the construction and operation of my. device may obviously be resorted to if within the spirit and scope of my invention without departing from the limits of the ap pended claims.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. A freezing container for use in the freezing unit of a refrigerator, comprising a walled container having a closed bottom and an open top and slidable into and out of the freezing unit, and a plurality of removable ice molds insertible into said container from above through said open top and protected against ice from said freezing unit forming thereon by said bottom wall, said units being suspended within said container by positive interlocking engagement oftheir upper edge portions with a top edge portion of the container and being spaced from the container bottom, and said container bottom being formed for quick detachable engagement with the walls of the container whereby it may be removed at will. a

2. A freezing container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the icemolds are formed as individual units which are interlocked with a top edge of the container by partial revolution of the units relative to the container.

3. A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the container is provided with a cover having holes therein, each hole having an offset, and the ice molds areindividual units having each a spring locking formation adapted to be registered with and inserted through such offset and locked under the edge of the hole by partial revolution of the unit relative thereto.

4. A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ice molds are formed as a plurality of strips, each provided with depending mold units, and each adapted for quick detachable engagement at its ends with the upperedges of the side walls of the container.

5. A freezing container for use in the freezing unit of a refrigerator, comprising a walled container having side, end and bottom walls and an open top, and a plurality of strips disposed across the open top of said container, each strip provided with depending mold units, and each strip formed at its ends with means adapted for spring locking engagement with the upper edges the ends of the mold strips 8. A freezing container for use'in the freezing of the side walls of said container, the mold units of said strips depending into said container and being protected against ice from the freezing unit forming thereon by said bottom walls of the container.

6. .A container as claimed in claim 5, wherein are formed as resilient locking lips.

'7. A container as claimed in claim 5, wherein the ends of the mold strips are formed asresilient locking lips and said lips are slotted to provide outwardly extending projections constituting finger lifting portions by-means of which said strips may bereleased from their locking engagement with the container side walls.

unit of a refrigerator, comprising a walled container having a closed bottom, side and end walls, and an open' top, said bottom being formed for quick detachable engagement with the side walls of said container whereby it maybe removed at will, and a plurality of individual ice molds suspended within said containerand spaced from the bottom wall thereof. I

9. A freezing container as claimed in claim 8 wherein the side and end walls or either of them are opened to permit circulation of cold air through the container and by and between the mold units suspended therein.

ETHEL F. RAWLINGS. 

